13 replies to this topic

[glidrose]

http://www.theguardi...ake-ian-fleming

A more faithful adaptation of Fleming's own story, apparently.

"Pitching their film as “James Bond comes to Ottawa”, Demabre and Driscoll told CBC they were interested in For Your Eyes Only because Fleming has 007 visit the Canadian capital. In an interview with CBC’s Shadrach Kabango, the pair said they were not intending to compete with the blockbuster style of Spectre, and would instead be making an “arthouse James Bond”. They suggested Ryan Reynolds as a potential Canadian 007, with Christopher Plummer, Donald Sutherland and Michael Ironside as their favourites for supporting roles. Mad Men’s Jessica Paré was named as a possible female lead, and Montreal rappers Dead Obies as possible theme song performers."

FWIW, "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" has to be one of the worst movies ever made.

[plankattack]

Yeah, I caught this today too. Apparently not competing with the "real" series and making an "arthouse James Bond" definitely includes ensuring that there is a.....theme song!!!!! Hey, if you can't have a gun barrel, at least make sure you've got a song! But even if this is an arthouse Bond, I'm guessing the reason is that the audience won't accept a Bond without a song. I mean, didn't Fleming open every one of his books with a poem, or that OHMSS is crap because it doesn't have singing at the start.....

Don't mean to be punchy, but it's clear that while these comedians don't want to compete, they're definitely not above cashing in......

[SecretAgentFan]

Ridiculous.  EON will shoot them down in an instant.

[tdalton]

I hope they're able to make the film, even if the proposed casting leaves something to be desired. EON needs some competition.

[Dustin]

I sense a major fest for lawyers on the horizon...

[Simon]

Oh FFS.

[plankattack]

If you search for a CBC radio show called Q (ironically) you can listen to the interview from which all these articles are taken (it's a Canadian public radio arts show). The two guys are "cult" filmmakers by trade, and not to sound bitchy but their resumes are thin at best, and I get a real sense that they're fishing for publicity before anything else. Their knowledge of both Fleming and EON is erratic (though some of that may be down to the host and interviewee nervousness to be fair), but the one chap, Demabre, claims to have story-lined 4 films and is hoping that someone will finance things with an eye to the Chinese and "emerging" film markets.

 

They do talk about not looking to compete with the established series, making something more down-to-earth, and they use DN and FRWL as examples of more stripped-down films. And yet they also talk about theme songs and gadgets, so while they claim to aspire to making new adaptations, it seems that they they're not ready to completely dump the tropes that they imagine the general audience expect from the brand. There does seem to be a bit of talking out both sides of their mouth.

 

When I listened I just wanted to shout at the computer "Hey do a period Bond!" or some other idea we've thrown around on the boards, in the hope that there might truly be something original or genuine to their aspirations, but I was left with the sense that they were self-promoting rather than truly looking to offer an art-house alternative. Again, there really isn't much to their resumes, not any more than one of us saying that "we're a published author 'cos we've got a blog" type-thing.

 

Here's the link to the show, it's about a 10-minute listen:

http://www.cbc.ca/ra...ttawa-1.3339840

[Dustin]

Why exactly is it studios like Sony rob on their bellies up to MGM's gate to be granted the blessing of a cut-your-own-throat distribution and production deal? Ah yes, they love to burn funds just for fun...

[The Dove]

I've got words to describe this utterly stupid idea... F**K NO!!!

[dtuba]

I suppose we should be lucky that they aren't threatening to remake one of the full length novels, like FRWL, GF, or God forbid OHMSS.

[New Digs]

I hope they're able to make the film, even if the proposed casting leaves something to be desired. EON needs some competition.

 

After seeing Spectre I tend to agree, though I doubt it will ever see the light of day. 

[Walecs]

They can't do worse than MR, DAD and SPECTRE for sure.

[seawolfnyy]

All I know is that Bond has to visit Canada at some point. It's bizarre that outside of India and the Bahamas Bond really hasn't been to any of the commonwealth nations (he visits Pakistan off screen in TLD). These countries are ripe for great Bond adventures: Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Cameroon, Tanzania etc.

[AMC Hornet]

"They suggested Ryan Reynolds as a potential Canadian 007, with Christopher Plummer, Donald Sutherland and Michael Ironside as their favourites for supporting roles. Mad Men’s Jessica Paré was named as a possible female lead, and Montreal rappers Dead Obies as possible theme song performers."

 

Sounds like dream casting to attract investors, like Arnold Schwarzenegger's alleged involvement during the development of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes.

 

Hey, as long as you're only dreaming you might as well dream big.